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Panda Express Chow Mein - BEST copycat recipe ever that tastes EXACTLY like Panda Express. So good and easy, healthier, cheaper, and takes 15 mins!!
Chinese Takeout
When it comes to Chinese food in the United States, no restaurant is more iconic than Panda Express, who has over 1650 stores here.
How does it sound if you could make all the things you get at Panda Express for a fraction of the price, and even healthier as well?
Look no further, as I am going to share a series of popular and super easy Chinese recipes with you all.
Getting The Best Panda Express Copycat Recipe
Panda Express is famous for its Chow Mein and I am sharing the copycat recipe with you today. Everyone loves Chow Mein, greasy Chinese noodles tossed with lots of vegetables, stir-fried over very high heat in a wok.
Furthermore, to make sure that I do justice to the real deal, I recently went to Panda Express twice. I made sure to talk to the cook and drill down the recipe, and I got it down to a T.
Ingredients To Make This Copycat Recipe
- Noodles
- Onion
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Oil
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Tips For The Best Chow Mein
- A perfect chow mein should be loaded with lots of wok hei (breath of wok)—the ingredients should be flash cooked over high heat in a wok, so the noodles and vegetables are slightly burned and charred
- I am sure you have seen the cook at Panda Express tossing and cooking the noodles behind the counter, all done in a matter of minutes. To get good wok hei, you need lots of oil and a wok (but skillet will do).
- The chow mein should never be soggy or wet, and no water should be added during the cooking process.
See It For Yourself
So, below is the real Panda Express on the left and my version on the right. The chow mein tastes exactly like Panda Express, the only difference is the noodles used.
Panda Express noodles are specially made for them only and not available at the stores. For the closest replacement, use yakisoba.
This is a super easy recipe to make at home and you can get all ingredients from regular stores. Make a big batch of Panda Express Chow Mein—it’s so good, so easy, healthier, cheaper, and you can have as much as you want!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 362 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (500g) yakisoba
- 3-4 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 8 oz. (230g) cabbage, sliced
- 2 oz. (60g) celery, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Instructions
- Discard the seasoning packets from the yakisoba noodles. Loosen the noodles and set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet over high heat and add the oil once it's heated. Add the onion, cabbage, and celery to the wok, stir-fry, and toss continuously until the vegetables are soft and slightly charred.
- Add the noodles and stir a few times before adding the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir continuously to combine all the ingredients in the wok. Dish out and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Not quite Panda Express taste that I was hoping & expecting, but I’ll it try again.
Panda Express have their own noodle supplier. The difference is in the texture of the noodles and the taste is pretty much about the same.
This is so quick…easy…and tasty…it really does taste like Panda Express Chow Mein…thanks for sharing your recipe…made for Cooking on a Dime tag game at recipezazz.com
Do you cook the Yakisoba noodles prior to adding to the veggie stir-fry? I notice on the using other noodles you say to do this.
Yes, sorry about that. Please cook them first.
Best oyster sauce, mine tastes to fishy?
Lee Kum Kee Premium – Boat Lady is good and Healthy Boy is a close 2nd, but there are so many to choose from.
My favourite is Megachef. In fact I don’t really like other oyster sauces.
This looks delicious!! What kind of oil do you use?
Vegetable oil.
If I wanted to add chicken to this for the kids, would the following instructions work for Step 2 (I am attempting to combine aspects of this recipe and your Chicken Chow Mein recipe without losing the Panda Express flavor)?
Heat up a wok or skillet over high heat. When it’s heated, add the oil to the wok/skillet. Add the chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is half cooked or the surface turns opaque, then add in onion, cabbage, and celery (and carrots, if desired). Stir fry and toss continuously until the vegetables become soft and some of them are slightly charred. Add in the noodles and stir a few times before adding the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir continuously to combine all the ingredients in the wok. Dish out and serve immediately.
I forgot to mention the “velveting” of the chicken in Step 2: Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon corn starch to the chicken. Stir to coat well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Thanks Jeff the the method and recipe! I hope it worked for you, I am going to try it too! :-)
Try this recipe: https://rasamalaysia.com/chow-mein/
Hi Bee. I am not familiar with cooking yakisoba noodles. You say to break up the noodles and set aside. Aren’t the noodles dry? Don’t I need to boil them first? I really want to try this, but since I am unfamiliar with wok cooking, I don’t know if you put the dried noodles in the wok or cook them first.
Thank you. Love your recipes, especially your pad thai.
Yakisoba noodles are always soft and fresh, not dried. You can break them up and loosen them before using.
You can microwave the noodle in the bag for a minute to loosen them. Then you can start frying them out of the bag into the pan. This way the noodles are not broken into pieces.
Thank you for posting! This is a great recipe for easy, tasty Chow Mein- and very open for any add-ins to suit preference for personal tastes -everyone I have served to has enjoyed it a lot! Your emphasis on high heated oil is very key to this delicious dish, something that has caused chow mean fails in previous efforts! Most copycats I’ve tried have also been too saucy, salty or sweet- yours is perfect!
Thank you!?
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes and boundless cooking/recipe knowledge. Please know its very much appreciated!
This is honestly the first time that I have ever written a review for a recipe, despite following online recipes for years. I LOVE Panda Express Noodles! It’s something about the chewy texture. I have followed other recipes that claimed to be a copycat recipe and they all instructed the use of some type of dry packaged ramen. Of course none of them came close to the texture of the Panda Express Noodles. I’m so glad I found your recipe that recommended the use of Yakisoba, the type usually found in the refrigerated section. It was on point and gave the exact slightly drier chewy texture of Panda Express Noodles. Yours is truly a copycat! Thank you so much! Now I can have “Panda Express” noodles anytime! Stay safe and Healthy!
Thanks for your glowing review. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
If you do have to use dry noodles, reduce cooking time to al ‘dente, firm but cooked